Provisioning a wireless-capable device for a wireless network

ABSTRACT

Disclosed are exemplary embodiments of apparatus and methods for provisioning a wireless-capable device for a wireless network. In an exemplary embodiment, a wireless-capable device, e.g., a thermostat, generally includes provisioning component(s) configured to receive from, and without a wired connection to, a wireless user device at least a network profile for provisioning the wireless-capable device for a wireless network. The provisioning components have no capability to receive the network profile through the wireless network. The provisioning component(s) are further configured to provide information for provisioning control of the wireless-capable device to a user account accessible through the wireless network.

FIELD

The present disclosure generally relates to wireless-capable devices,and more particularly (but not exclusively) to provisioning awireless-capable device for a wireless network without using a userinterface on the device.

BACKGROUND

This section provides background information related to the presentdisclosure which is not necessarily prior art.

In climate control systems, thermostats and other controllers may beprovided whereby a user can select temperature and other settings.Thermostats typically provide menu items and other features that may beselected by a user, e.g., by touching a touch screen on the device.Wireless-capable thermostats may be configured for communication with auser's home network, e.g., to receive data from remote sensors in thehome. Wireless-capable thermostats may also be remotely controlled byusers via smart phone, tablet, etc. to manage climate control settingssuch as when the user is away from home.

SUMMARY

This section provides a general summary of the disclosure, and is not acomprehensive disclosure of its full scope or all of its features.

According to various aspects, exemplary embodiments are disclosed ofapparatus and methods for provisioning a wireless-capable device for awireless network. In an exemplary embodiment, a wireless-capable devicegenerally includes one or more provisioning components configured toreceive from, and without a wired connection to, a wireless user deviceat least a network profile for provisioning the wireless-capable devicefor a wireless network. The provisioning components have no capabilityto receive the network profile through the wireless network. Theprovisioning component(s) are further configured to provide informationfor provisioning control of the wireless-capable device to a useraccount accessible through the wireless network.

Also disclosed are methods that generally include a method ofprovisioning a wireless-capable device for a wireless network. Themethod includes capturing an image or near field communication (NFC)transmission generated by a user device and extracting informationincluding at least a network profile of the wireless network from theimage or transmission. The capturing is performed by one or moreprovisioning components of the wireless-capable device. The provisioningcomponents have no capability to receive the network profile through thewireless network. The extracted information is used to provision controlof the wireless-capable device to a user account accessible through thewireless network.

In another exemplary implementation, a method of provisioning awireless-capable thermostat for a wireless network includes obtaining,on a user device, provisioning information identifying at least thewireless network. The user device is used in converting the provisioninginformation into an image and displaying the image. An image-acquiringprovisioning component of the thermostat is used in capturing thedisplayed image on the thermostat, and extracting the provisioninginformation from the image. The extracted information is used toprovision control of the thermostat to a user account accessible throughthe wireless network.

Further areas of applicability will become apparent from the descriptionprovided herein. The description and specific examples in this summaryare intended for purposes of illustration only and are not intended tolimit the scope of the present disclosure.

DRAWINGS

The drawings described herein are for illustrative purposes only ofselected embodiments and not all possible implementations, and are notintended to limit the scope of the present disclosure.

FIG. 1 is a frontal view of an exemplary thermostat in accordance withan exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 2 is a diagram of an exemplary thermostat and wireless network inaccordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 3 is a flow diagram of an exemplary method of provisioning athermostat for a wireless network in accordance with an exemplaryimplementation of the present disclosure; and

FIGS. 4 and 5 are flow diagrams of exemplary methods of provisioningcontrol of a thermostat to a user account accessible through a wirelessnetwork in accordance with an exemplary implementation of the presentdisclosure.

Corresponding reference numerals indicate corresponding parts throughoutthe several views of the drawings.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Example embodiments will now be described more fully with reference tothe accompanying drawings.

The inventors hereof have recognized that it is not always easy for ahomeowner to provision a new wireless-capable device such as athermostat for communication with an existing home network, particularlywhere the new device does not have a keyboard or other component foruser-provided data entry. Accordingly, the inventors have developed anddisclose herein exemplary embodiments of apparatus, systems, and methodsfor provisioning a wireless-capable device for a network, and, invarious embodiments, for further provisioning control of thewireless-capable device to a user's account, e.g., an account with anenergy management service or utility. In various implementations, thewireless-capable device may have limited or non-existent user interfacecapabilities. Implementations also are possible, however, in relation toa wireless-capable device that has a keyboard or other data entrycomponent.

In one example embodiment, a wireless-capable thermostat includes one ormore provisioning components configured to receive, from a wireless userdevice, at least a network profile for provisioning the thermostat for awireless network. In the present embodiment, the provisioningcomponent(s) have no capability to receive the network profile throughthe wireless network. The provisioning component(s) are furtherconfigured to provide information for provisioning control of thethermostat to a user account accessible through the wireless network.

With reference now to the figures, FIG. 1 illustrates an exemplaryembodiment of a wireless-capable device, e.g., a thermostat 10 embodyingone or more aspects of the present disclosure. The thermostat 10 is forcontrolling a climate control system in a residence. Various aspects ofthe disclosure, however, could be directed to thermostats configured foruse in other structures and/or environments. Additionally oralternatively, various aspects of the disclosure could be directed towireless-capable devices that are not thermostats. The thermostat 10 maybe configured to receive power from one or more power source types,including but not limited to a connection to a transformer of theclimate control system, a power stealing circuit, one or more batteries,etc.

The thermostat 10 has a housing 14 with a front cover 22 and includes adisplay device 24 having a display screen 28, which may be a touchscreen. The display screen 28 is configured to indicate variousenvironmental conditions detected in the residence, to show varioussettings that have been programmed into the thermostat 10, and toprovide an interface whereby a user, e.g., an owner of the residence,may enter and/or change such settings. The display screen 28 is, e.g., asegmented display. Although a plurality of setting options 32 and menuitems 36 are provided, no keyboard or other means are provided whereby auser may enter additional data.

FIG. 2 shows the thermostat 10 and an example network 100 for which thethermostat 10 is to be provisioned in accordance with an exampleimplementation. The thermostat 10 includes a microprocessor 40, memory44, and a wireless network interface 48. The thermostat 10 also includesone or more provisioning components 50, e.g., a camera/scanner forcapturing and interpreting image information such as barcodes, datamatrix codes, quick response (QR) codes, etc. In various embodiments,provisioning component(s) 50 may include a barcode scanner and decodercircuitry and/or software for analyzing image information from thescanner. The decoded information may be input to the microprocessor 40and/or stored in memory 44. Various types of provisioning components maybe provided in various embodiments, including, e.g., camera-basedreaders and image-processing software, light source/photodiodecombinations and decoding circuitry and/or software, etc. In someembodiments, provisioning component(s) 50 may also include a disturbancesensing component, e.g., an accelerometer, vibration sensor, shocksensor, impact sensor, etc. In various embodiments, a near-fieldcommunication (NFC) interface may be provided as a provisioningcomponent.

In various implementations, the thermostat 10 can be provisioned, asdescribed below, for wireless communication with the network 100, e.g.,a home network of the user. At least one wireless-enabled user device104 is connectable in the network 100 and may include, e.g., a laptop106 and a smart phone 108. User devices 104 may additionally oralternatively include, e.g., home computers, personal computers (PCs),tablets, etc. The network 100 may also include, for example and withoutlimitation, an access point/router 112 in communication with a wide-areanetwork (WAN), e.g., the Internet 116. In various embodiments the homeowner may have a user account, e.g., with an energy management serviceor utility. The home owner may use such an account, e.g., to trackand/or manage energy usage in the home. In various embodiments the useraccount is accessible through a web portal 120. Thus the home owner mayuse, e.g., the smart phone 108 and/or laptop 106 to remotely and/orlocally track and/or manage energy usage in the home through thethermostat 10, after the thermostat 10 has been connected in the network100 and associated with the user's account.

As shown in FIG. 2, the thermostat 10 is to be provisioned for thenetwork 100 so that the thermostat 10 might be connected into thenetwork 100. Additionally, in various embodiments, control of thethermostat 10 is to be provisioned to the user's energy managementaccount, e.g., via the web portal 120, so that energy management can beperformed wirelessly and remotely through the thermostat 10. Thethermostat 10 does not include, e.g., a keyboard by which the user mightenter data to provision the thermostat 10 for the network 100 and/oruser account. In one example implementation, provisioning component(s)50 of the thermostat 10 may include a NFC interface whereby thethermostat 10 may receive provisioning information from a user device,e.g., a user's smart phone, where the user device 104 also includes aNFC interface. In such implementations, information for provisioningcontrol of the thermostat 10 to the user's account may also betransferred to the thermostat 10 through NFC.

In another example implementation, the user may provision the thermostat10 for the network 100 in accordance with a method indicated generallyin FIG. 3 by reference number 200. In the present exampleimplementation, performance of the method 200 shall be described withreference to one of the user devices 104, e.g., the smart phone 108,although the method could be performed using the laptop 106 or otherwireless user device 104. In process 204, the smart phone 108 is used toaccess a software application. For example, the user may download to thesmart phone 108 a software application, e.g., from the web portal 120.Additionally or alternatively, the smart phone 108 may access a softwareapplication as a web service through the web portal 120, etc.

In process 208, the user inputs to the software application, e.g., via akeyboard of the smart phone 108, at least a network profile, i.e.,information identifying the network 100. Such information typicallyincludes but is not necessarily limited to a network name (also known asa service set identification (SSID)), security information, radio type,etc. Additionally or alternatively, where the smart phone 108 isconnected to, or at least within connecting range of, the network 100,the user may cause the smart phone 108 to display the profiles ofnetworks currently in range of the smart phone 108, from which the usermay select the profile for the network 100 and input it to the softwareapplication. The user also may input to the software applicationinformation identifying the user's energy management account accessible,e.g., through the web portal 120. Account information may include, e.g.,the user's name, phone number, account identifier, etc. In variousembodiments, e.g., where the user has invoked the software applicationby logging into his/her user account through the energy management webportal 120, the software application may already have access to theuser's account information, which the application automaticallyassociates with the smart phone 108.

In process 212, the software application converts at least the networkprofile into an image. For example, the application encodes theinformation into a visually transferrable form such as a one- ortwo-dimensional barcode, a data matrix code, etc. In some embodimentsthe software application may also encode the user's energy managementaccount information into the image. In process 216 the softwareapplication may be instructed to output the image e.g., on a display ofthe smart phone 108. Additionally or alternatively, the softwareapplication may be instructed, e.g., by the user, to output the image ina visually transferrable form to another device, e.g., a printer,another display such as a display screen of a tablet or of the user'slaptop 106, etc.

In process 220, the user may activate provisioning component(s) 50 ofthe thermostat 10 to capture and interpret the displayed image. In thepresent example, the image is a barcode displayed on the display of thesmart phone 108, and the provisioning component(s) 50 includes a barcodereader. The user may align the displayed barcode image with the reader,e.g., by holding the smart phone 108 in front of the reader. In process224 the network profile information and also possibly information, ifany, identifying the user's energy management account is extracted fromthe image and stored, e.g., in the memory 44. The thermostat 10 thus isprovisioned for connection with the network 100. Additionally, whereenergy account information is included in the image, control of thethermostat 10 may be provisioned to the user's energy management accountthrough performance of the foregoing method 200. The user may determinewhether the provisioning was successful, e.g., by using the smart phone108 or other user device in the wireless network to access thethermostat 10 through the user account.

In some implementations, user account information might not be includedin a barcode or other image carrying a network profile. Thus, in variousembodiments, example methods are provided by which control of athermostat may be provisioned to a user's account. One example method isindicated generally in FIG. 4 by reference number 300. In the presentexample, a thermostat already has been provisioned for a wirelessnetwork, e.g., as described above. Provisioning component(s) of thethermostat include a disturbance sensor, e.g., an accelerometer,vibration sensor, etc. In process 304, the thermostat is connected intothe wireless network, e.g., by the user through the user's smart phoneor other wireless network device. In process 308, the user physicallydisturbs the thermostat, e.g., by striking it with a user device, e.g.,the smart phone, where the smart phone also is equipped, e.g., with anaccelerometer. In the present example embodiment, the thermostat andsmart phone are each configured to generate reports of such disturbanceto a remote service provided, e.g., through a web portal through whichthe user's account is accessible. The mutual disturbance causes both thethermostat and phone to send reports, e.g., at approximately the sametime. When the contemporaneous reports have been validated by the remoteservice, the remote service serves as intermediary for sending the useraccount information to the thermostat in process 312. In variousembodiments, a thermostat may include other or additional types ofprovisioning components that may be activated to disturb a thermostat soas to generate transmission of a report over a wireless network.

Another example method is indicated generally in FIG. 5 by referencenumber 400. In the present example, a thermostat already has beenprovisioned for a wireless network, e.g., as described above.Provisioning component(s) of the thermostat include a physical label,e.g., a QR code, barcode, etc. affixed to the thermostat, and/or adevice serial number of the thermostat. In process 404, the thermostatis connected into the wireless network, e.g., by the user through theuser's smart phone or other wireless network device. In process 408, theuser accesses an energy management web portal and logs into his/her useraccount on a user device, e.g., the smart phone, which in the presentembodiment has a camera. The user also logs into or invokes a softwareapplication available on or through the portal. In process 412, the uservisually captures an image of the physical label and/or serial number,e.g., by taking a picture of the label/serial number with the smartphone camera. In process 416, the user sends the image from the phone tothe software application. In process 420, the application uses the imageto provision control of the thermostat to the user account.

Embodiments of the foregoing apparatus and methods make it possible fora user to connect a device that has no user interface to a wirelessnetwork, in ways that are substantially secure and that provide instantfeedback as to whether the connection was successful. Connections can bemade more quickly and smoothly than through the use of current methods,e.g., methods involving USB mass storage. Such methods typically requirea device to be a host, may require the payment of a royalty, and do notprovide immediate verification of successful connectivity and/oraccuracy of the information. The foregoing apparatus and methods also donot require a user to engage in a cumbersome process of entering adevice serial number online, as is required in some currently usedmethods. In embodiments of the foregoing apparatus and methods in whicha camera is used, additional security-related functions, e.g.,intermittent surveillance, are made possible in relation to athermostat. Additional functions could also be provided in embodimentsin which NFC is used. For example, a NFC interface could be used fordirect access to the thermostat by a homeowner using a smart phone atsufficiently close range.

Example embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will bethorough, and will fully convey the scope to those who are skilled inthe art. Numerous specific details are set forth such as examples ofspecific components, devices, and methods, to provide a thoroughunderstanding of embodiments of the present disclosure. It will beapparent to those skilled in the art that specific details need not beemployed, that example embodiments may be embodied in many differentforms, and that neither should be construed to limit the scope of thedisclosure. In some example embodiments, well-known processes,well-known device structures, and well-known technologies are notdescribed in detail. In addition, advantages and improvements that maybe achieved with one or more exemplary embodiments of the presentdisclosure are provided for purpose of illustration only and do notlimit the scope of the present disclosure, as exemplary embodimentsdisclosed herein may provide all or none of the above mentionedadvantages and improvements and still fall within the scope of thepresent disclosure.

Specific dimensions, specific materials, and/or specific shapesdisclosed herein are example in nature and do not limit the scope of thepresent disclosure. The disclosure herein of particular values andparticular ranges of values for given parameters are not exclusive ofother values and ranges of values that may be useful in one or more ofthe examples disclosed herein. Moreover, it is envisioned that any twoparticular values for a specific parameter stated herein may define theendpoints of a range of values that may be suitable for the givenparameter (i.e., the disclosure of a first value and a second value fora given parameter can be interpreted as disclosing that any valuebetween the first and second values could also be employed for the givenparameter). For example, if Parameter X is exemplified herein to havevalue A and also exemplified to have value Z, it is envisioned thatparameter X may have a range of values from about A to about Z.Similarly, it is envisioned that disclosure of two or more ranges ofvalues for a parameter (whether such ranges are nested, overlapping ordistinct) subsume all possible combination of ranges for the value thatmight be claimed using endpoints of the disclosed ranges. For example,if parameter X is exemplified herein to have values in the range of1-10, or 2-9, or 3-8, it is also envisioned that Parameter X may haveother ranges of values including 1-9, 1-8, 1-3, 1-2, 2-10, 2-8, 2-3,3-10, and 3-9.

The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particularexample embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting. As usedherein, the singular forms “a,” “an,” and “the” may be intended toinclude the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicatesotherwise. The terms “comprises,” “comprising,” “including,” and“having,” are inclusive and therefore specify the presence of statedfeatures, integers, steps, operations, elements, and/or components, butdo not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features,integers, steps, operations, elements, components, and/or groupsthereof. The method steps, processes, and operations described hereinare not to be construed as necessarily requiring their performance inthe particular order discussed or illustrated, unless specificallyidentified as an order of performance. It is also to be understood thatadditional or alternative steps may be employed.

When an element or layer is referred to as being “on,” “engaged to,”“connected to,” or “coupled to” another element or layer, it may bedirectly on, engaged, connected or coupled to the other element orlayer, or intervening elements or layers may be present. In contrast,when an element is referred to as being “directly on,” “directly engagedto,” “directly connected to,” or “directly coupled to” another elementor layer, there may be no intervening elements or layers present. Otherwords used to describe the relationship between elements should beinterpreted in a like fashion (e.g., “between” versus “directlybetween,” “adjacent” versus “directly adjacent,” etc.). As used herein,the term “and/or” includes any and all combinations of one or more ofthe associated listed items.

The term “about” when applied to values indicates that the calculationor the measurement allows some slight imprecision in the value (withsome approach to exactness in the value; approximately or reasonablyclose to the value; nearly). If, for some reason, the imprecisionprovided by “about” is not otherwise understood in the art with thisordinary meaning, then “about” as used herein indicates at leastvariations that may arise from ordinary methods of measuring or usingsuch parameters. For example, the terms “generally,” “about,” and“substantially,” may be used herein to mean within manufacturingtolerances.

Although the terms first, second, third, etc. may be used herein todescribe various elements, components, regions, layers and/or sections,these elements, components, regions, layers and/or sections should notbe limited by these terms. These terms may be only used to distinguishone element, component, region, layer or section from another region,layer or section. Terms such as “first,” “second,” and other numericalterms when used herein do not imply a sequence or order unless clearlyindicated by the context. Thus, a first element, component, region,layer or section discussed below could be termed a second element,component, region, layer or section without departing from the teachingsof the example embodiments.

Spatially relative terms, such as “inner,” “outer,” “beneath,” “below,”“lower,” “above,” “upper” and the like, may be used herein for ease ofdescription to describe one element or feature's relationship to anotherelement(s) or feature(s) as illustrated in the figures. Spatiallyrelative terms may be intended to encompass different orientations ofthe device in use or operation in addition to the orientation depictedin the figures. For example, if the device in the figures is turnedover, elements described as “below” or “beneath” other elements orfeatures would then be oriented “above” the other elements or features.Thus, the example term “below” can encompass both an orientation ofabove and below. The device may be otherwise oriented (rotated 90degrees or at other orientations) and the spatially relative descriptorsused herein interpreted accordingly.

The foregoing description of the embodiments has been provided forpurposes of illustration and description. It is not intended to beexhaustive or to limit the disclosure. Individual elements, intended orstated uses, or features of a particular embodiment are generally notlimited to that particular embodiment, but, where applicable, areinterchangeable and can be used in a selected embodiment, even if notspecifically shown or described. The same may also be varied in manyways. Such variations are not to be regarded as a departure from thedisclosure, and all such modifications are intended to be includedwithin the scope of the disclosure.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method of provisioning a wireless-capabledevice for a wireless network, the method comprising: capturing an imageor near field communication (NFC) transmission generated by a userdevice and extracting information including at least a network profileof the wireless network from the image or transmission, the capturingperformed by one or more provisioning components of the wireless-capabledevice, the provisioning components having no capability to receive thenetwork profile through the wireless network; and using the extractedinformation to provision control of the wireless-capable device to auser account accessible through the wireless network; wherein thewireless-capable device includes a disturbance sensing device and theextracted information is used to connect the wireless-capable deviceinto the network, the method further comprising: reporting a mutualdisturbance of the wireless-capable device and the user device or asecond user device, the reporting performed by at least thewireless-capable device to a service in the network; and thewireless-capable device receiving an identification of the user accountfrom the user device or the second user device through the networkservice.
 2. The method of claim 1, wherein the extracted informationidentifies the user account.
 3. The method of claim 1, wherein thewireless-capable device is a thermostat.
 4. A method of provisioning awireless-capable device for a wireless network, the method comprising:capturing an image or near field communication (NFC) transmissiongenerated by a user device and extracting information including at leasta network profile of the wireless network from the image ortransmission, the capturing performed by one or more provisioningcomponents of the wireless-capable device, the provisioning componentshaving no capability to receive the network profile through the wirelessnetwork; and using the extracted information to provision control of thewireless-capable device to a user account accessible through thewireless network; wherein the one or more provisioning components of thewireless-capable device include a label on which is made available, forvisual capture, account-related information for relating thewireless-capable device to the user account, and the extractedinformation is used to connect the wireless-capable device into thenetwork, the method further comprising: using an image-acquiringcomponent of the user device or of a second user device, capturing animage including the account-related information, and extracting theaccount-related information from the image; and using the extractedaccount-related information to provision control of the wireless-capabledevice to the user account.
 5. The method of claim 4, wherein the labelincludes (a) an image on the wireless-capable device and/or (b) a serialnumber of the wireless-capable device.
 6. The method of claim 4, whereinthe provisioning of control to the user account is performed incoordination with a network application related to the user account. 7.A method of provisioning a wireless-capable thermostat for a wirelessnetwork, the method comprising: obtaining, on a user device,provisioning information identifying at least the wireless network;using the user device, converting the provisioning information into animage and displaying the image; using an image-acquiring provisioningcomponent of the thermostat, capturing the displayed image on thethermostat, and extracting the provisioning information from the image;and using the extracted information to provision control of thethermostat to a user account accessible through the wireless network. 8.The method of claim 7, wherein converting the provisioning informationinto an image comprises using a software application to convert theprovisioning information into a barcode or other code.
 9. The method ofclaim 7, wherein the extracted information is used to connect thethermostat into the wireless network, and wherein the method furthercomprises using a pair of disturbance sensors to invoke a service forprovisioning control of the thermostat to the user account.
 10. Themethod of claim 7, wherein the extracted information is used to connectthe thermostat into the wireless network, and wherein the method furthercomprises using an image of a physical label of the thermostat toprovision control of the thermostat to the user account.
 11. The methodof claim 7, wherein the physical label includes a barcode and/or aserial number.
 12. The method of claim 7, wherein using animage-acquiring provisioning component of the thermostat comprises usinga camera and/or scanner embedded in the thermostat.
 13. The method ofclaim 7, performed in the absence of a wired connection between thethermostat and the user device.
 14. The method of claim 7, wherein theextracted information includes at least a service set identifier.